Trepang2 utilizes 2000s FPS cornerstones but doesn’t attempt to innovate.
Trepang Studios started out a single-person pet project back in 2016. The goal was to simply play around and learn the latest version of the Unreal Engine. Even now, the team is only made up of four members: a coder, an artist, and two-level designers. The latter two members also act as composers and story writers.
Trepang2 – stylized as a squared number – takes on many elements of the 90s and early 2000s first-person shooters. The most upfront similarity is to FEAR, with both intense shooting and moments of spookiness. There is a high emphasis on either moving extremely quickly or using stealth to blindside enemies.
Players take control of subject 106 in Trepang2, a prisoner trapped in a maximum security experimental laboratory controlled by Horizon. Someone or something storms the facility, knocking out power and disrupting operations. 106 soon find themselves armed with a handgun and looking for a means of escape. Not only are they skilled marksmen, but they can turn invisible or move at incredible speeds.
Subject 106 soon comes in contact with Taskforce 27, a second cult-like faction that is aiming to take down Horizon. They give 106 access to their base, which includes a world map that serves as a level selector. An important thing to note is that there is only one save slot, and it is incredibly easy to wipe all progress if players go to the wrong location or press a confirmation too quickly. 106 will travel across the globe to take on Horizon, mostly in Europe and the Americas, but also a few stages in Africa and Asia. Unfortunately, most levels are interior military bases, rarely utilizing the geography or culture of the region.
Before a mission, players can select the difficulty settings in Trepang2. This includes the standards of easy, normal and hard. But also included is the highest challenge of “rage mode”. This amps up the damage and enemy awareness. In some cases, the AI might suddenly spot 106 through complete darkness and one-shot kill. Rage mode is rather unfair, though it should only be attempted by those who have beaten Trepang2 at all the lower difficulties.
However, completing stages in these higher modes – mostly hard and very hard – will unlock various cheats. This includes cosmetic alterations such as big head mode, squeaky voices, or causing everyone to T-pose. Others are gameplay-related like infinite ammo or dumber AI enemies. Additionally, there is a full sandbox mode that can also be unlocked in this manner.
On a mission, players are always armed with a simple handgun, the MK23. Players can also carry a single secondary weapon, dropping their old one when switching; one can still go back to the MK23 by scrolling the mouse wheel. Among these heavier weapons include the Kriss Vector machine gun, VHS D2 assault rifle, SPAS 12 shotgun, bolt launcher, and grenade launcher.
Many guns in Trepang2 can be dual-wielded for more firepower but less stability. There are also a host of customization parts to further power up each weapon. For example players can add laser sights for better aiming, a long barrel for more suppression, or incendiary rounds that cause splash damage.
Without customization, there is no means of aiming down the sights. Most guns will be hip fired for the majority of Trepang2’s storyline. The right mouse button instead is used for a quick melee hit, which is mostly good for finishing off a guard. For standard movement 106 can also run with left shift or slide with left alt; the latter can be rather uncomfortable to press in more chaotic fights. Both of these use stamina but refresh after a few seconds.
For more intense fights, players can cloak with the E key and use it to reposition or sneak on enemies. Another option is the Q button to “focus” which enters bullet time, slowing down enemies and allowing players to land precision shots and attacks. While not a direct ability, players can also press the T key to turn off their flashlight and hide within the natural shadows. However, this is only useful before enemies are aware of 106’s presence.
The vast majority of Horizon’s army is made up of human military personnel. They carry and use the same weapons as players. This means that one knows exactly what they can acquire by killing specific foes. Some enemies also carry heavy shields, which either require additional shots or getting behind them; the shield will be too damaged for players to wield. Most humans also drop health packs, typically enough to fully restore players after winning the whole encounter.
Horizon has also been conducting other strange and horrific experiments. This includes mindless zombies spewing noxious gas, giant hulking brutes, and even winged bat creatures. For the most part, monsters serve as end of stage bosses and other set pieces. They only make up 20% or less of the foes encountered, making it jarring when after going through an entire stage of just military soldiers, a mutant just shows up with no fanfare.
These monster encounters are slightly telegraphed, as they typically happen in dark, quiet, or otherwise secluded areas. This typically involves some kind of jump scare where the enemy buts through a door, shatters a window or otherwise makes a grand entrance. While the goal is to instill terror, it is a more momentary surprise not to see this kind of enemy for an hour or more.
Dark corridors also don’t always imply some kind of scientific or horror-related encounter. Often times military and guards will patrol these sections instead. Typically they are superior forces in squads of four, six, or eight. One can choose to sneak in the shadows quietly passed their cones of vision. At other points, players might use their cloak cooldown and simply waltz by. But enviably, a fight will break out somewhere on the level.
It is unclear if it is an AI or sound issue, but once an encounter breaks out, it seems like any skipped enemies become “aware”. While they don’t rush to the current fight, they audibly shout as if searching or panicking. Intense combat music will also play, even if said enemies are now dozens of miles away. This can result in zones that are meant to be pure stealth to feel still needlessly intense. Though, this is usually fixed on a reload.
Another strange audio choice is that there aren’t clear proximity voices. Most of the time, it sounds as if Subject 106 is directly patched into the enemy’s communication devices. While this makes it easier to hear story dialogue, it also is harder to track enemies based on sound alone. Most players will be better off locating targets by vision alone.
On normal difficulty, players will likely finish Trepang2 after six or seven hours. Any additional replayability comes from redoing stages at higher difficulties and unlocking the reward cheats. There are also lore datapads hidden in each stage, though the overall story borders between predictable to flat-out boring. Players should be coming to the game purely for shooting action.
Trepang2 plays things rather safely. It isn’t going to throw out sudden curve balls – or at least not succeed in its attempt. Still, what is presented is masterfully done. Fans of 20 year old shooters will get a thrill for 8-20 hours or more. However, Trepang2 isn’t any sort of gateway into the genre and converts people who are used to modern shooter mechanics like regenerating health or aiming down the sights.
